Sticks Come Alive in Game Two as Softball Splits With Midland
Hastings, NE – The Hastings College softball team took on one of the best team in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in Midland University and picked up a split dropping game one 8-2 before taking the nightcap 7-5 on a warm and windy day out at the Smith Softball Complex.
Hastings, NE – The Hastings College softball team took on one of the best team in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in Midland University and picked up a split dropping game one 8-2 before taking the nightcap 7-5 on a warm and windy day out at the Smith Softball Complex.
The Lady Broncos got off to a great start against Aliyah Rincon who did pitch 161 pitches the day before in a 12 inning loss to Dordt. Hastings worked a lot of full counts in the inning with Rayleigh Guyer reaching on a one out walk. Then Elana Gerhard took an 0-2 pitch and hit a shot to right that cleared the fence for the early 2-0 lead.
Midland would end up threatening in the top of the second getting one run and had the bases loaded when Roni Foote sent a fly ball into the teeth of the wind in left. The wind caught the ball as Lauren Schneider got turned around and the ball eventually landed on the ground for a double. As the ball got thrown to home it eluded Gerhard as Foote came all the way around to score to make it 5-2.
From there, Hastings struggled to get much offense going dropping game one 8-2.
Gerhard led the way in game one going 1-for-2 with the two RBIs.
Game two started off nearly identically as game one as Midland was quiet in the top of the first and Hastings made game two starter Paeton Coler work in the bottom of the inning. Sydney Schelkopf started the inning with an infield single. Guyer moved her to second with a bunt while Macie Mays would walk.
Following a strikeout, Lexie Mudloff reached first as the third baseman struggled to handle the ground ball that loaded the bases. Kyleigh Boever coaxed a walk on a 12 pitch at-bat to force home a run. Thenn Taylor Stuhr ripped a single to left to score Mudloff and Mays to make it 3-0.
After Midland made it a two run game, a bit of controversy came about in the bottom half of the second. Hastings would get runners on first and second with no outs thanks to back-to-back errors. Mays then lifted a fly ball to right field where the sun made it tough to see and it appeared the umpire didn't make a fair or foul call as the play continued. When the dust settled, Mays had a RBI double that scored Schelkopf to make it 4-1. After Midland changed pitchers, Mudloff beat a throw to first to avoid the double play which allowed Guyer to score to make it 5-1.
The Warrior bats then came to life in the fourth scoring three runs to make it a 5-4 game. Mays would have yet another answer as she hit a no doubter over the right field fence to make it 6-4 through four innings.
Hastings would late use some small ball and a clutch RBI single from Schelkopf to make it a 7-4 game heading to the sixth.
Midland would put some pressure on in the sixth as they had runners on second and third with a run already scoring but Boever got Foote to ground out to short to end the threat.
Boever then had to work around a leadoff double in the seventh but got a strikeout, a pop out and then used back-to-back change ups to fool Mia Orduna for the strikeout ending the game as catcher Stuhr pumped her fist in delight knowing this was a big win.
Schelkopf went the way going 2-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored. Mays had a nice game going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Boever's final line in the win was 7.0 innings giving up five runs on 10 hits while striking out seven Warriors.
Hastings is now 13-17 (7-5) on the year and will be back in action Friday Apr. 14 hitting the road for a doubleheader against Dordt with first pitch set for 4:00 pm in Sioux Center, IA.
